Use of pulmonary surfactant for the early treatment of acute pulmonary diseases

Abstract

The invention describes the use of pulmonary surfactant preparations for the early treatment of acute pulmonary diseases.

1 . A method of early treating acute pulmonary diseases in a human in need thereof comprising the step of administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount of a pulmonary surfactant preparation.  
     
     
         2 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , the pulmonary surfactant preparation comprising phospholipids, the pulmonary surfactant proteins SP-B and/or SP—C and/or their modified derivatives, if desired together with further excipients.  
     
     
         3 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , the pulmonary surfactant protein being recombinantly prepared pulmonary surfactant proteins.  
     
     
         4 . The method as claimed in  claim 2 , the pulmonary surfactant protein being lusupultide.  
     
     
         5 . The method as claimed in  claims 2  to  4 , the pulmonary surfactant preparation contains 80 to 95% by weight of phospholipids, 0,5 to 3,0% by weight of pulmonary surfactant proteins, 3 to 15% by weight of fatty acids, and 0 to 3% by weight of calcium chloride.  
     
     
         6 . The method as claimed in  claim 1 , the human in need being a patient with a diagnosed acute pulmonary disease selected from the group consisting of ALI, ARDS, acute respiratory insufficiency, pneumonia, nosocomial infection, hypothermia and SIRS associated with ALI.  
     
     
         7 . The method as claimed in  claim 6 , the patient being selected from the following patient groups: patients before, during or after an intervention on the open thorax, patients who are ventilated, patients with pulmonary intoxication, patients with a trauma, patients with sepsis, patients with pneumonia or those in which the risk of pneumonia exists, patients with a nosocomial Infection or in which the risk of a nosocomial infection exists, patients with hypothermia and patients with SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome) associated with ALI.  
     
     
         8 . The method as claimed in  claim 6 , the human in need being an ARDS patient having ARDS for not more than 24 hours.  
     
     
         9 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , the ARDS patient having ARDS for not more than 16 hours.  
     
     
         10 . The method as claimed in  claim 8 , the ARDS patient having ARDS for not more than 8 hours.